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Explain Italian centenarians and their massive pasta consumption in that case. Or Portuguese centenarians and our massive consumption of bread and rice. You co

Explain Italian centenarians and their massive pasta consumption in that case. Or Portuguese centenarians and our massive consumption of bread and rice. You could just as well point the blame to refined vegetable oils. There's good evidence to suggest that excess linoleic acid is tremendously harmful to all our tissues. Is all fat the same? There's no point in blaming a single macronutrient. The only truly useful simplifications you can make that apply to the general population are that: A) natural foods are generally better than process foods B) moving around all day is generally better than sitting still C) starting out with the right genes is a pretty good call D) keeping yourself lean until old age (and then a little fatter) is another pretty good call.

sph 4y ago
I'm originally from Italy. The people in Southern Italy that consume massive amounts of pasta have the typical "beer belly" you might have seen on US television. What's absent in Southern Europe in my experience is the big flabby type of obesity. But beer belly is terrible, it means most fat is visceral. A regular Italian diet isn't pasta 3 meals a day, but meat, vegetables, salami, cheese and some pasta and bread. The consumption of salami and cheeses isn't much different than France. In my youth I had both more frequently than spaghetti, and if I did, portions were moderate, and food generally unprocessed. We don't buy macaroni in a can. I do agree on refined and vegetable oils being terrible. I personally avoid any vegetable oil which isn't pressed from fruit pulp, such as olive, avocado or coconut, but prefer animal fats generally. Seed oils are perhaps the worst thing one can ingest.
- zemvpferreira 4y ago
  "Massive" was hyperbolic from me but it seems like we agree that reducing processed foods from american-level consumption down to something reasonable does a lot more for people than striving to hit zero. That was the point I was clumsily trying to make. I personally reduced my intake of refined carbs and oils as well, but a baguette here and there is well worth the tradeoff and can even be beneficial.

sph 4y ago

I'm originally from Italy. The people in Southern Italy that consume massive amounts of pasta have the typical "beer belly" you might have seen on US television. What's absent in Southern Europe in my experience is the big flabby type of obesity. But beer belly is terrible, it means most fat is visceral. A regular Italian diet isn't pasta 3 meals a day, but meat, vegetables, salami, cheese and some pasta and bread. The consumption of salami and cheeses isn't much different than France. In my youth I had both more frequently than spaghetti, and if I did, portions were moderate, and food generally unprocessed. We don't buy macaroni in a can. I do agree on refined and vegetable oils being terrible. I personally avoid any vegetable oil which isn't pressed from fruit pulp, such as olive, avocado or coconut, but prefer animal fats generally. Seed oils are perhaps the worst thing one can ingest.

zemvpferreira 4y ago
"Massive" was hyperbolic from me but it seems like we agree that reducing processed foods from american-level consumption down to something reasonable does a lot more for people than striving to hit zero. That was the point I was clumsily trying to make. I personally reduced my intake of refined carbs and oils as well, but a baguette here and there is well worth the tradeoff and can even be beneficial.